A group of hockey moms ordered matching team jackets. Their children wound up facing a suspension threat.
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That was the message Jersey Hitmen owner Bobby Reiss sent parents after learning that mothers associated with the New Jersey organization's 10U major team had custom apparel made using its branding, according to the New York Post.
Reiss said the logos were used without permission and sought a 15% royalty.
"Therefore, the parents on this team and their children are suspended until restitution is made to our organization," he wrote in the email.
After the message and a photo of the jackets circulated online, Reiss offered a different explanation.
He told NJ.com that no players were actually suspended, everyone attended Wednesday's practice and no parents had been required to pay royalties.
"Did I write that they would be? Yes, I did," Reiss said. "But that was to get the attention of the mothers."
His explanation for involving the children was blunt: "The only way parents deal is through their kids."
Reiss maintained that the organization's contracts prohibit unauthorized use of its trademarks. He also argued that outside apparel orders take business away from the people hired to produce team merchandise. He said the parents had not approached him about making the jackets.
Despite the wording of his email, Reiss insisted the dispute would not cost the children playing time.
"The kids will never be affected," he said. "Let me make that perfectly clear."
